Oscillating steam-engine



`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN A. REED, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW' JERSEY.

OSCILLATING STEAM-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent N o. 24,821, dated July 19, 1859.

To aZZ whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ANDREW REED, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oscillating Steam Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which- Figure 1, is a side view of the cylinder and trunnion-boxes of an oscillating engine, with the external portion of the nearest trunnion box broken away to expose its interior. Fig. 2, is a transverse vertical section, taken in the planes indicated by the line m, in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a face view of the opposite trunnion-box to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. ll, is a side view of the cylinder.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

My invention consists in a certain arrangement of a reversing valve and steam passages in combination with stationary induction and eduction valves on the inner ends of the trunnion boxes, constituting a very simple means of reversing an oscillatmg engine.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the bedplate of the engine.

B, B, are the trunnion-boxes.

C, is the cylinder; a, a, its trunnions; and cZ, is one of the trunnion-box linings.

D is a bridge piece connecting the tops of the trunnion boxes across the cylinder and serving to stay them.

Z2, Z9, are screws for setting up the trunnien-boxes close to the cylinder and preserving tight joints between the valve faces which are formed on the inner ends of the trunnion-boxes and the seats which are formed on the sides of the cylinder around the trunnions.

The trunnion-boxes are made each with a steam-passage c, c, completely surrounding the trunnion bearings and with an opening e, in the top to form communication with one of two passages f, f, in the bridge-piece D, the said passages terminating each in one of the two out-er ports g, g', of the seat of the reversing valve E, which is on the top of the bridge piece D, and which is covered by a steam chest F. The valve E, is an ordinary short D slide. The central port ZL, in the seat of the said valve E, has a permanent communication with the exhaust pipe G. The steam pipe H, is connected with the steamschest F.

The valve seats z', z', surrounding the trunnions, are each provided with a double set of ports, that is to say two ports leading to one end and two leading to the other end of the cylinder; the object of such double set of ports being merely to get a large area of opening with a small movement of the cylinder. The two pairs of ports j, y', and j*, j*, on one side of the cylinder are shown in Fig. 4;; the pair j, y', communicating with the same passage leading to the opposite end. The ports. are all at equal distances from a plane passing through the axes of the trunnions parallel with the axis of the cylinder. The ports on the other side of the cylinder are similarly arranged, and communicate with similar passages on that side leading to opposite ends of the cylinder. The valve faces R, R', on the inner ends of the trunnion boxes have each two sets of ports Z, Z, and Z, Zl, to correspond with the ports j, y', and of their respective seats on the cylinder; but the port-s Z, Z, and Zl, Z*, on one side are arranged in a manner the reverse of those on the other side, as will be understood by a comparison of Figs. l and 3, and by reference to Fig. 2; so that when the port-s j, y', or j, jf, leading to one end of the cylinder are open to the steam chamber c, of one trunnion, the ports y'i, f, or y', j, leading to the other end are open to the chamber c, of the other trunnion box.

The induction of steam is effected through the chamber c, of one trunnion box, and the eduction through the chamber c, of the other trunnion-box, and the engine is made to rotate in one direction or the other by placing the reversing valve E, in a position to open one or the other of the ports g, g', to the steam chest and the opposite one to the eduction port 7L, the induction always taking place through the same chamber and the eduction through the other one till the valve E is shifted to change the opening of the ports g, g', by the lever J, which is connected with its stem for the purpose.

I do not claim the construction of the trunnion boxes or the valves which surround them or eiecting the induction of the steam through a chamber in one trunnion box and its eduction through the other one. Nor do I claim the use of a D valve as a means of Q* reversing rotary engines, or the connection passages in the bridge piece communicating h of the trunnion boxes by a bridge piece erosswith the chambers in the trunnion boxes, l0 ing the cylinder. But substantially as herein described.

What claim as my invention, and desire' 5 to secure by Letters Patent, is z- JOHN A' REED' The arrangement of the reversing valve Vitnesses: E, in a steam chest on the top of the bridge W. TUsoH, 5" piece D, in combination With the separate J. W. 000MB. 

